Things Are Happening – December 30, 2016

A. Life is starting

We’re exactly seven days away from the beginning of the NCAA season, meaning that in one week’s time I will have to remember how to live blog things again. Those muscles are really atrophied. I’ll be back doing the normal daily live blogs each weekend of the season, and I’m going to add a running results page for meet week with all the final scores in one place so there’s not so much clicking back and forth and hither and thither and yon.

The first weekend is pretty solid this year, with the very first day giving us Oklahoma/Alabama and Georgia/LSU. Some years, the first day is just like the North Miami School of Chinese Medicine vs. a ditch. So this is better. The full season schedule is here.

The team previews are almost done. 17 down, 4 to go. And then we get to stop previewing things and start reviewing things, stop being optimistic about people’s potential and start being pessimistic about their actual, horrible actions. The whole gaggle of previews is available in the drop-down menu.

Training videos have tapered off with the Christmas break and the season coming so soon, though UCLA did want us to remember Macy Toronjo and that she’s a person who is doing an acro series on beam.

B. Voronin Cup

Russia hasn’t stopped competing for a single second since the end of the Olympics (why are the gymnasts always injured???), but in the shock of all shocks, no one forced Seda Tutkhalyan to pour herself into the Voronin Cup last week and slop around the beam for a second. Instead, the competition acted as an opportunity for Daria Elizarova to pop out of a jack-in-the-box and go, “SURPRISE! Remember this piece?” Continue reading Things Are Happening – December 30, 2016

Missouri 2017

MISSOURI ROSTER 2017
Seniors
Alyson
Heimsath
  • Did not compete in 2016
  • Weekly BB, FX in 2016
  • 2015 RQS: FX – 9.775, BB – 9.725
Angie Kern
  • Fixture of VT, FX lineups in 2016
  • 2016 RQS: FX – 9.815, VT – 9.760
Juniors
Tia Albritten
  • Weekly BB, late-season UB in 2016
  • 2016 RQS: BB – 9.765
  • 2016 average: UB – 9.604
Kennedi Harris
  • Late-lineup contributions on VT, FX
  • 2016 RQS: FX – 9.885, VT – 9.860
Shauna Miller
  • Returned to AA late in 2016 season
  • 2016 RQS: UB – 9.805, VT – 9.750, BB – 9.700
  • 2016 average: FX – 9.675
Becca Schugel
  • Weekly UB, BB in 2016
  • 2016 RQS: UB – 9.830, BB – 9.810
Sophomores
Allison Bower
  • Made final BB, FX lineups in 2016
  • Provided backup UB
  • 2016 RQS: FX – 9.835, BB – 9.810, UB – 9.725
Madeleine
Huber

  • Competed weekly UB, frequent VT, occasional FX in 2016
  • 2016 RQS: UB – 9.815, VT – 9.750
  • 2016 average: 9.763
Brooke Kelly
  • Anchored UB much of 2016
  • Provided early-season routines on FX, BB, VT
  • 2016 RQS: UB – 9.845, FX – 9.775, BB – 9.540
  • 2016 average: VT – 9.413
Xarria Lewis
  • Competed regular VT in 2016
  • 2016 RQS: 9.795
Morgan Porter
  • Star AA performer in 2016
  • 2016 RQS: FX – 9.895, UB – 9.870, VT – 9.840, BB – 9.835
Michaelee Turner
  • Occasional FX (including regionals) in 2016
  • 2016 RQS: FX – 9.645
Britney Ward
  • Team-best VT, BB routines in 2016
  • 2016 RQS: BB – 9.900, VT – 9.885
Freshmen
Alyssa Johnson
  • Twin City
  • 2015 JO Nationals VT 10th
Rachel Ley
  • Top Flight TX
  • 2015 Texas state VT 9th
Mary Nicholson
  • Empire TX
Aspen Tucker
  • CEGA FL
  • 2016 JO Nationals VT 4th, BB 6th, FX 7th

Recent History
2016 – 19th
2015 – 21st
2014 – 41st
2013 – 43rd
2012 – 20th
2011 – 32nd
2010 – 12th

Missouri is on the upswing following the dark years, having refreshed and reinvented itself two years ago with a brand new staff and crop of competitive gymnasts. Like Kentucky, Missouri will hope that extreme youth serves the team well, returning all of last year’s postseason routines. That’s usually a portent of improvement, and while Missouri hasn’t broken into the nationals conversation yet, this season should be marked by inching forward, not inching backward.

Everyone being healthy (and using their own credit cards), the goal will essentially be to keep last year’s lineups intact and then add in Aspen Tucker to replace whoever got the lowest 9.7. Sounds like a plan to me.

Continue reading Missouri 2017

Fantasy Gym Lists and Rankings

The deadline for fantasy gym drafts is fast approaching (December 30), so if you want to be able to join in the fun when the rest of us spend the next four months complaining about how horrible our teams are, get to work.

I finished my own draft, and it’s a catastrophe. But, as a way of organizing my thoughts, I made some lists of important gymnasts to remember by dividing them into categories and ranking them within their categories so I know who I wanted the most and how to approach my draft strategically (because sometimes you need to make some lists and rank some categories…it’s the holiday season, after all). Here they are in case you also need to spend the next 48 hours drafting.

These are not exhaustive (or even logically sound) lists, so don’t freak out.

Returning stars (famous US elite division)
many of the best scores will come from this group, gymnasts who would be a boon for a fantasy team but may be risky to go after because of their popularity and name recognition. The chances of actually getting them are low.

1. Elizabeth Price – Stanford
2. Kennedy Baker – Florida
3. Brenna Dowell – Oklahoma
4. Lexie Priessman – LSU
5. Sarah Finnegan – LSU
6. Katelyn Ohashi – UCLA

Top freshman (US elite division)
a similar scenario to the returning US elites but perhaps more extreme because they are the shiny new toys that everyone wants. They have the added concern that we don’t actually know how their careers will play out yet.

1. Maggie Nichols – Oklahoma
2. Kyla Ross – UCLA
3. Madison Kocian – UCLA
4. MyKayla Skinner – Utah
5. Amelia Hundley – Florida
6. Felicia Hano – UCLA
7. Maddi Desch – Alabama
8. Sabrina Vega – Georgia
9. Rachel Gowey – Florida
10. Polina Shchennikova – Michigan Continue reading Fantasy Gym Lists and Rankings

Minnesota 2017

MINNESOTA ROSTER 2017
Seniors
Bailey Abernathy
  • Provides weekly VT, FX routines
  • 2016 RQS: VT – 9.840, FX – 9.835
Bailie Holst
  • Competes weekly VT, BB, FX, competed BB once for 9.525 in 2016
  • 2016 RQS: UB – 9.885, VT – 9.770, FX – 9.765
Kaitlin Rahon
  • Provided weekly FX and frequent BB in 2016
  • 2016 RQSL FX – 9.810, BB – 9.730
Juniors
Abby DeMuse
  • Weekly VT, UB, FX and occasional BB in 2016
  • 2016 RQS: FX – 9.850, UB – 9.840, VT – 9.815
  • 2016 average: BB – 9.370
Ciara Gardner
  • Competed AA in every meet in 2016
  • 2016 RQS: FX – 9.875, BB – 9.820, UB – 9.805, VT – 9.770
Hannah Hitchcock
  • Provided backup UB routine in 2016, competed VT once for 9.500
  • 2016 RQS: UB – 9.690
Rachel Rowland
  • Has not competed a routine in first two seasons
Steph Shields
(redshirt)
  • Transfer from UW-Stout
  • Competed BB, FX in 2015 for Stout
  • 2015 average: FX – 9.333, BB – 8.820
Sophomores
Rachel Cutler
  • Made final UB lineup in 2016
  • 2016 average: UB – 9.645, FX – 9.650
Selena Ung
  • Competed BB 3 times in 2016 for 9.658 average
Freshmen
Casey Betts
  • Gold Medal AZ
  • 2015 JO Nationals 19th AA
  • 2015 Arizona state AA champion
Julie Huebert
  • Eagles MO
  • 2016 Missouri state AA 2nd
Ivy Lu
  • Gymnix
  • 2012 Junior Pan American team
  • 2015 Canadian open division AA champion
Kristen Quaglia
  • Classic MN
  • 2016 Minnesota state AA 3rd
Ryan Stach
  • Galaxy NY
  • 2016 JO Nationals VT 15th
  • 2016 NY state AA 2nd
Becca Taylor
  • Twin City
  • 2016 Minnesota state UB 3rd
Paige Williams
  • Metroplex
  • 2016 JO Nationals AA 2nd

Recent History
2016 – 12th
2015 – 23rd
2014 – 14th
2013 – 8th
2012 – 24th
2011 – 22nd
2010 – 25th

Minnesota managed a critical result last season by advancing to nationals when not favored to do so, but expectations for 2017 are not all that high given the depletion of the roster (losses which tend to focus on the 9.9s of Lindsay Mable but also include Nordquist, Hanley, and Haines, leading to the decimation of some of the lineups, and by some I mean beam).

A large freshman class featuring a few rather accomplished gymnasts will be counted on to minimize the damage and keep the Gophers in the national conversation, though the most likely final ranking for Minnesota appears closer to those 22-25 seasons. Continue reading Minnesota 2017